I’m not sure how long this has been around, but I stumbled across Google Maps new Street View today, and I gotta say it’s pretty cool. Try it out here, make sure to play around with the controls on the picture.
Archive for May, 2007
My wife is a talented person, no really - I’m not just saying that. She launched her own blog yesterday, and there are some cool posts up already.
I’ve set up a new photo section on my blog, it’s up there on the navigation tabs, or you can go here. I’m using slickr and lightbox (see right sidebar on photos page for links), not the plugin I was wishing for facebook integration, unfortunately that requires PHP5, nuts!!
Speaking of facebook, currently I’m using picnik, digg and del.icio.us apps - picnik is an awesome light weight photo editing web app that allows you to access your photos from flickr, picassa, facebook and your computer from the same console, with facebook platform, you can access it from right within your facebook account. Picnik is still beta, so understandably there are a few bugs, but I haven’t had any real problems. It has the basic editing tools like cropping, sizing, red eye etc. By no means is it in the same league as photoshop, but for 80% of user needs this app will suffice.
Getting back on topic, the photo section is still in its infancy, so check back once and awhile. I only just stepped into the digital photography age a few weeks ago, well sort of, I bought a Sony Ericsson K790a cameraphone. Not a good camera, but as far as phones go this thing is an awesome camera, amazing in low light situations. Not a bad phone either, nice UI. It’s pretty cool having a 3.2 mega pixel camera with you where ever you go.
Update: Turns out I am on a hosting plan that supports PHP 5, I’m thinking that the previous plugin I mentioned was spam, the dude had a referral right in the WP options page to some hosting plan where he gets a cut. So with a little looking I found Fotobook this thing works good, better than slickr. And considering that Facebook is the #1 photo web app - simply because it does what flickr and picasa doesn’t, allow unlimited uploads and albums for free - this plugin is worth a look. One more reason to spend even more time on Facebook, like I needed one.
Facebook is launching their Facebook Platform today. This thing has the potential to be huge. Log-in and have a look at your dashboard, on the left sidebar is a newly added (as in today) control where you can control what apps you use in your profile. This is a brilliant move, giving users control before third parties start developing apps - no doubt learnt from the previous mishap of developing the news-feed without giving users privacy controls first. Platform is essentially an API with deeper access to data, it also allows full integration of your app to the users dashboard. However, the idea comes with danger; the platform needs to be managed with caution. I hope Zuckerberg and co know what they are doing, and can be trusted - spam or malicious apps will drive users away, fast.
Personally I’m wishing for Wordpress integration for photo’s - somehow I don’t see a long wait. Think of the possibilities: digg, del.icio.us, webmail etc etc integrated on your account. I’m looking forward to the creativity this sparks.
Update: I just found the wordpress plugin I wished for, I didn’t even need to wait, or wish for that matter. All I had to do was look for it. Have a poke around, ther seems to be some cool stuff there already.
Fujiya & Miyagi “Ankle Injuries” video made using 6 sided dice:
The future of TV… Joost. Anyone have an invite to spare? I’d love one, thanks ;)
I flew home from Ft Lauderdale today, and I enjoy picking up a random magazine for a flight - like junk food for the brain. Today I bought the May 2007 copy of Popular Science, in it a special on the “Future Of The Car“. Interesting read, as a gearhead I have been reading articles on alternates for some time. One thing that strikes me as poor design in the Javelin Speedsled - a design flaw that seems to be commonly overlooked in several designs (see GM’s Skateboard concept); are hub mounted motors at each wheel. It has obvious benefits, like an open frame for liberal seating and body configurations. The flaw is this: disregard for unsprung weight, and rotating mass. It’s simple: the lower the weight of a wheel, brake and suspension assembly, the better the vehicle will ‘hold the road’. I don’t know about you, but I feel that future cars should out perform existing ones, in safety, as well as balls to the wall performance. The solution is a simple one, move the motors to the chassis, thus becoming sprung weight, and run short drive shafts to the wheels. I’m more than willing to retain a ‘conventional’ (read: existing) seating arrangement for function, these seating arrangements have served human transport well for over a century, why change it now?
I have more to discuss here than I have time right now, so more to come on this in future posts.
